Whilst walking thru the PX Lobby area a couple days ago I stopped to look at a kiosk selling GWOT paraphernalia. The man tending the cart was selling black metal bracelets engraved with a name and a unit - presumably of KIA soldiers/Marines/Airmen, etc. Also for sale were the yellow bands with 'support our troops' and such. Around the back side of the cart I saw the 'key chain' section. Here were hundreds of 'dummy' bullets of various sizes - 9mm, .45, .50, 7.62mm, and so on. Each had the requisite key ring as well as a tiny engraving on the brass part - something like OIF or 'Afghanistan '05' and such. There were also key chains with attached dog tags which read: "Osama, we're coming for your ass" (I was hoping it wasn't a sign of a more 'sexually liberated' Army).

It got me thinking, and I left the area feeling a little down. Somebody is making a LOT of money selling crap to admittedly, a willing population. I guess I felt a little dirty, seeing young troops lined up carrying their 'Kick his ass sea-bass' attitude trinkets. I felt bad looking at the hundreds of bracelets with a name, rank, and unit of a real person, now dead - not so much for the deceased, but for the guy pocketing likely MUCH more than a GS11 makes in a year, simply by engraving a hunk of aluminum with a dead soldier's details. Why should ANYONE profit like that that? I suspect the answer will be 'As long as there is a market for it...there's no harm'.

Whilst walking thru the PX Lobby area a couple days ago I stopped to look at a kiosk selling GWOT paraphernalia. The man tending the cart was selling black metal bracelets engraved with a name and a unit - presumably of KIA soldiers/Marines/Airmen, etc. Also for sale were the yellow bands with 'support our troops' and such. Around the back side of the cart I saw the 'key chain' section. Here were hundreds of 'dummy' bullets of various sizes - 9mm, .45, .50, 7.62mm, and so on. Each had the requisite key ring as well as a tiny engraving on the brass part - something like OIF or 'Afghanistan '05' and such. There were also key chains with attached dog tags which read: "Osama, we're coming for your ass" (I was hoping it wasn't a sign of a more 'sexually liberated' Army).

It got me thinking, and I left the area feeling a little down. Somebody is making a LOT of money selling crap to admittedly, a willing population. I guess I felt a little dirty, seeing young troops lined up carrying their 'Kick his ass sea-bass' attitude trinkets. I felt bad looking at the hundreds of bracelets with a name, rank, and unit of a real person, now dead - not so much for the deceased, but for the guy pocketing likely MUCH more than a GS11 makes in a year, simply by engraving a hunk of aluminum with a dead soldier's details. Why should ANYONE profit like that that? I suspect the answer will be 'As long as there is a market for it...there's no harm'.

or whatever..

anywho...rant over, I suppose.

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It's tasteless, but there's a lot of tasteless stuff in a free market economy. Remember the t-shirts that said, "Kill 'em all, Let God sort them out" and so on? Is this stuff endorsed by the military? If so, couldn't they ban this practice. Another factor is if they are selling "memorabilia" which represents specific dead soldiers, that violates the soldiers property rights. Their families most likely don't realize what's going on, therefore won't do anything about it.

It's tasteless, but there's a lot of tasteless stuff in a free market economy. Remember the t-shirts that said, "Kill 'em all, Let God sort them out" and so on? Is this stuff endorsed by the military? If so, couldn't they ban this practice. Another factor is if they are selling "memorabilia" which represents specific dead soldiers, that violates the soldiers property rights. Their families most likely don't realize what's going on, therefore won't do anything about it.

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Not endorsed by the military, but they cannot stop it either (First Amendment, etc.) nor can this junk be classified as memorabilia (that would be a very tough sell in court...Freedom of Information Act etc.). This sort of thing can not be stopped by the military anymore than the military can stop a grief stricken Mom from using her sons death to further a political agenda....if you get my drift.

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